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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/28152492">When The Moon Hits Your Eye</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/dracorights/pseuds/dracorights'>dracorights</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Hogwarts Sixth Year, M/M, Pre-Slash, Werewolf Draco Malfoy</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-12-18</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-12-18</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-10 17:14:14</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Teen And Up Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>5,394</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/28152492</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/dracorights/pseuds/dracorights</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>Harry had expected many things when he first started following Draco Malfoy, but he hadn't expected this.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Draco Malfoy/Harry Potter</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>21</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>196</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>When The Moon Hits Your Eye</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><ul class="associations">
      <li>For <a href="https://archiveofourown.org/users/littlemustard/gifts">littlemustard</a>.</li>



    </ul><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>This is a birthday present for my lovely beta reader and soulmate, who loves werewolf Draco almost as much as I love her. Without you, I wouldn't be here. Happy Birthday, baby, you are my full moon in the dark of the night!</p>
    </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <em>☆☆☆</em>
</p><p>Harry stands around a corner, trying to not make a single sound. He had been expecting many things when he started following Malfoy around, like another broken nose or the possibility that Malfoy really was a Death Eater, then a fight to stop whatever he was up to disappearing some nights with Snape, or skipping classes and even meals.</p><p>It couldn’t be good, that was he had always thought, and he had been right, because right now it wasn’t a matter of a broken nose, but life or death. <em>'Fuck,' </em>he thinks, gritting his teeth as he hears the floor creak down the hall.</p><p>He had been so stupid. All the signs had been there; the dark circles under his eyes, the sicking paleness of his skin, the disappearances during consecutive nights every month, the fucking <em>Whomping Willow</em>. It had all been there, but Harry hadn’t connected the dots until it was too late to get out.</p><p>Hidden under his cloak and a stairway, he had seen Malfoy pace around the Shack until he suddenly stopped. And then had watched him as he slipped out of his robes, making Harry feel for the first time ashamed of spying on him and then confused because <em>why the fuck was Malfoy undressing alone at the Shack</em>?</p><p>And then he had stopped thinking because Malfoy’s body was covered in scars, long ones that crossed his back and legs. Malfoy was shivering from the cold, hugging his arms close to him and letting Harry finally see his forearm. </p><p>At that moment Harry had realized how much in deep shit he was, because Malfoy’s pale skin under his wrist wasn’t tainted by an inky mark, but marred with another scar, in a red crescent shape that couldn’t be anything else but a bite, and everything he had seen suddenly made sense and he had to get out of there.</p><p>But there had been a sharp intake of air from Malfoy and Harry looked as the first white beams of moonlight slipped through the gaps of the walls, sealing his fate. Malfoy had stepped back, as if trying to run from them, but then he had frozen on the spot, eyes fixed on a gap of the wall, and his body had started to shudder.</p><p>Werewolf transformations were not a pretty sight. The body twisted in a painful way, bones cracking as they rushed to take another shape, pale limbs extending and pointy face growing longer. Hair grew all around Malfoy’s skin, still so white it seemed to reflect the scarce light of the room. Malfoy screamed and sobbed the entire time, until his cries of pain turned into the whimpers of an animal.</p><p>Harry had stood in place as the white werewolf remained doubled over, crouched on the floor while still whimpering. If he had to leave, it had to be there, he decided and stepped forwards. And then the plank he had stepped on had creaked loudly and the wolf had thrown back his head and howled.</p><p>Harry had bolted then, slipped through the gap of the stairway to the other corridor, as he heard the wolf - <em> Malfoy </em>- start to tear apart the stairway to go through. With his heart racing faster than him, Harry had turned around a corner once, then again and again until he heard the howl, too close, and decided to hide instead of fleeing.</p><p>And that’s where he is. Wand tightly on his hands as he goes through every possible spell that could work in this situation. Teeth gritted to not let any sound get out as he hears the creaks of the planks as the wolf approaches. Every expletive he knows being screamed on his head at him, for being an idiot, in the distinctive voice of Hermione.</p><p>There’s another sound that silences her, almost inquisitive and followed by an intake of air. <em>‘He’s sniffing me,</em>’ realises Harry, cursing himself again. There is no point hiding if the wolf can follow his trace.</p><p>Another howl almost makes him jump, but this one sounds different, less threatening. The creaking starts again, followed by more sniffs, and Harry knows he is about to be discovered. </p><p>He presses his back further to the wall and watches as the wolf stops next to him, sniffing the air again before continuing ahead. <em> 'Even as a wolf you are stupid,' </em> thinks Harry, moving to slip into the hall the wolf had come from. He feels victorious, taking steps that don't creak down the hall, but then he looks over his shoulder.</p><p>The wolf is staring right at him, its ears standing up as it tilts its head, listening, its mouth open and letting Harry see the sharp white teeth. And then it howls, the sound sounding too much like Malfoy's malicious laugh, and Harry runs. </p><p>Or at least tries to, because the cloak slides off him, tangling at his feet and making him stumble. He can only hear a low growl before he is being tackled, sending him rolling down the hall. </p><p>The back of head hits the wall and he groans in pain, but there is no time to dwell on it, he can see the other hall to his left, leading to the exit, to safety.</p><p>But another growl makes him freeze, and he slowly turns to see the wolf where it crouches before him, raised on all fours as it advances slowly, teeth bared and eyes locked on him. Malfoy's eyes were grey, like the clouds, but now they are the moon behind them; white, big and full of their own ethereal light.</p><p>The wolf advances, head low and a growl-like sound coming from its throat. Despite knowing there was no way out, Harry can't help but scoot back until his back is flush against the wall, trying to put as much distance between him and the wolf. His gaze flickers to the hall on his left, figuring he could make a break for it, but as if reading his thoughts, the wolf growls again, and Harry stops and looks at it.</p><p>The moon eyes are still fixed on his, in an almost cautious manner, and the nose twitches, like Aunt Marge's dog's did whenever food was nearby, only there isn't any food now. Harry's wand is still on his hand, a certain spell on his head, and he is just getting ready to use it when the wolf takes a sudden step forwards and presses its snout against Harry's neck.</p><p>Panic makes Harry raise his hands to push it away, but then confusion takes over because there is no pain, no sharp teeth sinking on his throat and ripping it apart, there's only more sniffs and then a sudden whimper as the wolf backs away.</p><p>"Malfoy?" asks Harry, his eyes fixed on the white ones, and the ears of the wolf press downwards and it takes another step back. It looks wary, almost afraid of Harry, but it doesn't run. There is no hostility, no sign of danger at all, and Harry remembers seeing Malfoy with Snape on the map every night leading to this one.</p><p>"Wolfsbane," he says aloud, filling the silence of the room and the wolf only looks at him quietly, moon eyes big and unblinking, so unlike what Lupin had been years ago when he had forgotten to take the Potion that would let him retain some mental faculties, not human but not a crazed monster.</p><p>There is something clearly animalistic in the way the werewolf crouches in front of him, with the wariness of a kicked dog. But there is also something inherently Malfoy too; perhaps the way his white eyes look calculating, or the paleness of its fur. "It's really you," says Harry, as if he hadn't seen the transformation. But now that he is not running for his life, he can think clearly, think about the horrible implications behind all this.</p><p>"You are not a Death Eater," he says to the wolf, which says nothing in return. Harry takes that as an answer and nods, accepting that he had been wrong.</p><p>And then there's the second thing, which makes him feel bad about his long-time enemy. Lupin had once told him that sometimes children get bitten to punish their parents. Werewolves are under Voldemort's control at the moment, that much Harry knows, which means that after failing at the Ministry, Lucius Malfoy had to be punished. </p><p>"Who bit you?" asks Harry, but there is no answer. "Was it Greyback?"</p><p>There's an answer then, as the ears of the wolf press down further and it lets out a mournful whimper that tugs at Harry's heart because, even if he doesn't like Malfoy, he would have never wished this for him. "I'm sorry," he says quietly. "I hate you, but this... The Ministry wasn't your fault."</p><p>Big moon eyes are fixed on him and Harry knows Malfoy can't understand him and it's only answering to the tone, but the wolf advances again, almost cautiously. It reminds Harry of Buckbeak, and without thinking much he extends a hand.</p><p>The wolf backs away and Harry stays still, waiting until it returns, letting Harry's palm rest between its eyes. It's soft, and warm, and Harry feels amazed as the wolf closes its eyes and leans into the touch. </p><p>"If I say good boy, will you bite me?" says Harry, laughing when in return he gets a huff that sounds almost haughty. That brings him back to it, that this is Malfoy and he should go. </p><p>But he remembers Lupin, talking of the times he had transformed by himself, alone in the Shack and hurting himself until the Marauders had met him.</p><p>He thinks of the scars on Malfoy's back, on the dark circles under his eyes. "Should I stay?" he asks the wolf, but it says nothing back, still leaning into the touch with a peaceful expression on its face, probably happy to not be alone. "You will kill me in the morning," says Harry, but he strokes its head, fingers threading through the pale fur. The wolf backs away, looking him in an almost offended way before letting out a huff and walking away. </p><p>Harry is left there alone, but instead of leaving he stands up and follows the wolf, walking not behind him like when he spied on Malfoy, but by his side. The wolf is upright now, slightly bent forwards but still much taller than Harry. He gives him a wary look but doesn't bare his teeth.</p><p>"So, what do you usually do?" He knows Malfoy can't understand him, probably not even recognize him, but the words help fill the silence and the tone has to convey something.</p><p>The wolf doesn't answer. Harry watches as it paces around the Shack, sniffing the air, then sometimes stopping to look at Harry before continuing, as if to make sure he is still there.</p><p>After an hour or so, the wolf does something that amazes Harry. It yawns, like a dog, extending its limbs on a lazy stretch. "Tired, Malfoy?" he asks, words cut off by a yawn of his own. He should be leaving now. </p><p>With a single glance at him, the wolf turns around and throttles down the hall from the beginning, the one that leads to the room he had met Sirius in.</p><p>"Really?" Harry asks once he walks in and sees Malfoy on the old bed, long body curled up and moon eyes looking up at Harry. "Of course you wouldn't just sleep on the floor," he says, and the wolf yawns again.</p><p>He's clearly ready to sleep, but his expectant eyes don't leave Harry, as if waiting for him to do something, and Harry nods. "Yeah, I'll leave. Uh," he scratches his head. "I will probably have to speak with you tomorrow, or something."</p><p>At least that's what he plans to do. He wants to help Malfoy, even if he is an absolute git, because now he can't forget the haunted expression on Malfoy's face the entire year. Harry had thought it was because he was up to something, but now that he knew it was this…</p><p>There's a growl that makes him stop his retreat and look at the wolf. Its ears are raised in attention, lowering when Harry meets its eyes. "What?" asks Harry, approaching the bed carefully. And suddenly there's a mouth closing around his arm and pulling him down, and before he can even blink he is sprawled on the bed with a heavy wolf curled next to him.</p><p>"No way," he says to the wolf, who looks at him from where its head rests on his chest. In answer, the wolf merely yawns rudely, its hot breath on Harry's face, and closes its eyes.</p><p>Harry tries to shift away, but the mouth curls up to bare its teeth and the wolf growls. "I can't sleep here," protests Harry harshly. Ron would probably freak out when he doesn't see him in the morning, Snape would probably come by early, the bed was old and dusty, and, "You will jinx me if I stay here!"</p><p>The moon eyes open again to meet his frown and the wolf lets out another whimper. "Don't look at me like that," says Harry sternly. "You don't like me, you will be angry that I saw you like this."</p><p>Right? But the wolf only blinks at him slowly, looking exhausted, and Harry thinks again of the dark circles under Malfoy's eyes. "You don't want to be alone?"</p><p>Malfoy would have laughed at him for the question, but the wolf only whimpers again, its ears pressed back, and Harry just sighs because he has lost all will to go. "I'm stupid," he says to the wolf, whose ears perk up in a way that makes Harry smile. "You probably agree, right?"</p><p>The wolf howls quietly, yawns and closes its eyes again, and Harry can feel him breathing on his neck, can feel the rise and fall of his chest, slow and tranquil. </p><p>Figuring he might as well sleep too, Harry sighs to himself in resignation and shifts a bit to make himself more comfortable. He debates what to do with his hands, before deciding to place one on Malfoy's head, the other on the bed next to him.</p><p>The fur is soft and alive under his fingers, and without as much difficulty as he first expected, Harry falls asleep with the sound of another breathing next to his.</p><p>
  <em> ☆☆☆ </em>
</p><p>Consciousness comes back to him slowly the next morning. There’s a weight on his chest and something soft under his palm. Still half-sleep, he strokes it, feeling strands of- He frowns, that’s not fur, it’s longer and more delicate. His hand travels down, trying to reach its end, and then there are no more strands, but smooth skin, warm at the touch, and there’s also a low sound, pleased and entirely human.</p><p><em> Malfoy</em>. Harry’s eyes fly open as he remembers where he is, who he is with, and he is welcomed to the sight of Draco Malfoy curled up next to him, blond head resting on Harry’s chest, one hand just next to it, and the most peaceful expression Harry has ever seen on his face.</p><p>That makes Harry stop trying to escape. Malfoy looks almost innocent; there’s no sneer on his lips or the more recent frown twisting his features. Instead they are relaxed, pink lips gaped as he breathes, sharp nose pressed into Harry’s shirt, pale eyelashes resting over his cheeks. Disturbing his slumber feels like a crime.</p><p>Right until Harry notices that Malfoy, like every other person that transforms back to human after a long night of being a wolf, is not wearing anything and that Harry’s other hand is on his bare back and dangerously low. </p><p>As if burned, Harry wrenches his hand away, realising one second too late that his movement had been too sudden, and he watches helplessly as Malfoy first frowns, then groans into his shirt and finally flutters his eyes open. </p><p>They don't look like the moon anymore, but the surface of the lake that reflects it, and Harry would take a moment to ponder on how poetic he could be sometimes if he weren't too busy awaiting his death.</p><p>But there’s no fit of anger, no yelling, no broken noses nor jinxes. There’s not even surprise in Malfoy’s face, as he squeezes his eyes shut and presses his face into Harry’s chest again. “I was hoping it was all just a nightmare,” comes Malfoy’s muffled voice, which Harry hadn’t heard all night and cements further the fact that this is <em> really </em> Malfoy.</p><p>“Er, no,” says Harry smartly, wondering if he should be pushing the other away. Malfoy merely sighs and raises to his elbows, letting Harry catch a glimpse of his bare chest, his mind fully stopping for a second before he notices Malfoy is curling his arms around him and shivering.</p><p><em> Shit</em>. He stands up and shrugs off his jacket, pointedly not looking at Malfoy as he places it over his shoulders. “Wait here,” he says and runs out of the room before the other can answer. </p><p>Surely enough, the robes are still in the same place Malfoy had left them after shrugging them off. It was a smart move, all things considered, as Harry supposed one wouldn’t want to wake up to destroyed clothes every morning.</p><p>But the thought of Malfoy waking up naked and searching for his clothes is too...odd, and Harry feels strangely flustered on his behalf. He scoops up the shoes as well and walks back, trying to ignore that the pile of folded clothes on his hands has to include Malfoy’s underwear as well. Unless he went without it which makes it worse. </p><p>Had Harry ever expected to carry Malfoy’s clothes? No, but he hadn’t expected him being a werewolf either, so what’s another odd thing to the day?</p><p>When he walks into the room, Malfoy is sitting on the bed, Harry’s jacket over his lap and arms crossed over his chest. He looks at Harry with wariness and snatches the robes off his hands when he offers them. “What are you doing here, Potter?” he asks while he puts on his shirt.</p><p>Harry pointedly fixes his gaze on the wall. “That’s a question,” he says and no reply comes from Malfoy so he asks a question of his own, “What happened to you?”</p><p>“That’s a question,” comes the answer and Harry is tempted to turn around and look at him but he doesn’t. He hears the creak of the bed as Malfoy stands up, probably putting on his trousers now, and then a sigh. “Which you already know the answer to.”</p><p>“Greyback?”</p><p>“During Summer, and, yes, it hurt.” Malfoy sounds almost bored, but Harry can hear his voice waver near the end. </p><p>Harry turns then, and Malfoy is already dressed but Harry’s jacket is still on his hands. There’s a frown on his face as he looks at him. “Will you tell?” asks Malfoy, and now he sounds resigned in an entirely not-Malfoy way. </p><p>It makes Harry feel irritated. “Why would I do that?”</p><p>“There are many reasons,” says Malfoy, eyes flickering to Harry’s. “If the board of governors heard, they wouldn’t let me stay. I would be out of your hair. Merlin knows I wouldn’t miss a chance like that.”</p><p>“I’m not you.”</p><p>Malfoy raises an eyebrow. “Is that why, then? Because you think of yourself as some sort of saint above the rest of us?” There’s - <em> finally </em>- a spark of emotion in Malfoy’s eyes and his lips curl up in a snarl. “Is it pity what is stopping you? You pity me?” Malfoy advances, head low and voice dangerous, and despite having seen the same thing yesterday, Harry knows it’s not new. “Or is it something else? You want me to grovel at your feet like the rest of idiots? Perhaps you thought that if you stayed here with me, I would be indebted to you in some way, eager to kiss the ground you walk on?”</p><p>It’s too much, but all Harry gets is that Malfoy does feel indebted in some way and doesn't like it. “I don’t want anything from you,” says Harry harshly but there’s still disbelief on the silver eyes.</p><p>“Then why did you stay?”</p><p>“Because you wanted me to,” protests Harry. Because that was the reason, the wolf had growled at him not to go.</p><p>But Malfoy merely scoffs. “Because you always do what I want. We are not <em>friends</em>, Potter, I don’t like you at all,” he says harshly. “I wasn’t going to attack you last night, you could have left- you <em> were </em> about to leave.”</p><p>Harry frowns. "Wait, you remember everything?” he asks, because if Malfoy did, he should be even angrier. Right? </p><p>To his puzzlement, colour rises on Malfoy's cheeks as he says, "Of course I do, I was under Wolfsbane, I retained some faculties- But that doesn't mean I was in control," he adds hastily. "I was merely watching my actions, the rest, it wasn't me."</p><p><em> But it was you</em>. Harry rubs his neck, feeling less angry now. The wolf had acted scared, sad, had recognized Harry and let him stay with him. Was that all wolf, or was it Malfoy?</p><p>Was Malfoy feeling lonely too, so exhausted of it he had accepted the company of someone he disliked? </p><p>"I didn't leave because you asked me to stay," says Harry again, but before Malfoy can raise any protests, he adds, "And because it didn't feel like the right thing to do. Leaving, that is." </p><p>Malfoy blinks at him, face settling into another frown before throwing Harry's jacket at him. "You can leave now, then."</p><p>"No."</p><p>"I'm asking you to leave." Malfoy scoffs at him but Harry doesn’t move. “Fine, I’ll leave then. Have fun explaining to Snape what you are doing here,” spits Malfoy, his shoulder digging into Harry’s as he walks past him. It’s the lack of strength behind the movement that makes Harry turn around and grab for him, his hand closing around the other’s forearm in the same way the wolf had caught his yesterday.</p><p>Malfoy looks perplexed, the surprise making his mask falter and Harry sees again the fear he had glimpsed on the wolf’s moon eyes. And just like that Harry knows what to say. “Let me help you.”</p><p>“Help me?” repeats Malfoy as if the word was foreign to him, and then there’s a ripple in the surface of his eyes, sudden and angry. “I don’t want your help-!” The blond cuts himself off with a wince when Harry squeezes just above his wrist. </p><p>“He did this to you, didn’t he? Voldemort,” says Harry, a spark of anger making him take a step forward when Malfoy winces at the name. “He did this to you to punish your father because of his failure-”</p><p>Malfoy shoves him and Harry stumbles back but doesn’t let go of his grip, sending the blond into him. They are inches apart now, and Harry can see every wrinkle on Malfoy’s face as he twists his features into a snarl. “And that was all your fault,” hisses the blond harshly. “It’s your fault I have become a disgusting <em> half breed</em>-”</p><p>“Don’t fucking say that!” cuts him off Harry, hardening his grip on Malfoy’s wrist until the blond winces again, because he is not just insulting himself, but also Lupin. </p><p>“I’ll say whatever I want!” yells Malfoy, trying to no avail to free himself and then closing his other hand in a fist that Harry stops from meeting his face just in time by holding onto the wrist. “Get your dirty hands off me, Potter! Haven’t you done enough? My life is over,” Malfoy’s voice takes a desperate edge and his eyes remind Harry of the sea during a storm, “My parents can’t even look at me, I’m not their son anymore but a filthy creature-” Harry is startled when Malfoy lets out a wry laugh. “Is that it, then, Potter? You like me now that I have become filthy, like that mudblood you like so much?”</p><p>Harry pulls him closer by the wrists and then shoves him into the wall. “I’m warning you, Malfoy, not another word or I will-”</p><p>“What? Kill me?” Malfoy sounds breathless, but his eyes are fixed on Harry’s with a stillness that seems dangerous. “Is that all? Do it, Potter,” he whispers with a smile. “I would rather die than live like this. So go on, I know you want to, you have been looking for a reason all year.”</p><p>“I thought you were a Death Eater,” says Harry before he can stop himself.</p><p>Malfoy throws his head back against the wall and laughs, a horrible and bitter sound. “Well, I’m not one, and I won’t ever be,” he says out of breath, his eyes falling to Harry’s again in a manner that seems almost intimate. “He won’t give me the Mark, he told me himself. You know why?” Malfoy grins and lowers his head until he can whisper into Harry’s ear. “<em>Because Marks are for real wizards, Draco, and not Beasts like you</em>.” </p><p>Harry can only look at him as Malfoy pulls back with a glare that lacks the usual fire. <em> A beast. </em>Draco Malfoy, the same one that used to saunter around, chin raised with pride due to stupid ideals of blood purity; that Draco Malfoy had been kicked out of his high throne and thrown to the ground he had once sneered at, what was in his eyes below him, below Harry, even below muggles.</p><p>It was ironic, really, to the point Harry could have laughed, but instead he is just frozen in place trying not to feel sympathy and failing. Did he ever expect to feel bad for Draco Malfoy? Never, but he hadn’t expected him to become a werewolf either, so what’s another odd thing to the day?</p><p>So Harry thinks about what he can do, his eyes fixed on Malfoy’s for any sign but only seeing his own doubts reflected in them. Malfoy’s new condition can’t be taken away, nor can their past, but the future is something else.</p><p>Offering protection would make Malfoy snap at him because, even when he has been reduced to what he has always despised, Harry can see a sliver of pride in his stormy eyes, one that is different and only shows up for <em>him</em>. Malfoy is a proud creature, driven by emotions like anger, impulsive in that way, and Harry can only think of one reason he would ever accept his help.</p><p>“And you are just going to let him get away with that?” he says, and watches as the words sink in for Malfoy, how his eyes widen and his lip curls into a snarl that trembles. “He did this to you, and what, you will continue to side with him?”</p><p>Malfoy looks like he wants to bite him. “Side with him? If this is some attempt to make me join your group of-”</p><p>“This is not about sides, Malfoy, but your pride.” Triumph roars in Harry’s chest when Malfoy gapes at him before turning his head to the side, away from his eyes. Harry grips his wrist tighter and presses him further into the wall. “Voldemort did this, don’t you hate him for that?”</p><p>“Stop saying his name,” bites out Malfoy but his voice wavers.</p><p>Harry isn’t deterred. “You don’t own him any respect, you shouldn’t feel anything but anger at him, hatred,” he says, his voice so smooth he is surprised it’s not parseltongue. “Don’t you want vengeance?” he continues but Malfoy isn’t looking at him and Harry opens his mouth, “Draco.”</p><p>It works. Surprise makes Malfoy snap his gaze to him and Harry sees it, a spark of intense anger in his grey eyes, and that makes him grin because that is <em> Malfoy </em>right there. Harry doesn’t know why the sight makes him feel so elated, but he dismisses it and presses on, “I can help you with that.”</p><p>Malfoy is looking at him with the wariness of a hurt dog, and his mouth twists in a grimace as he visibly forces him to spit out, “How? How would you possibly help me?”</p><p>“I could give you safety,” says Harry and watches with pleasure as the grey eyes shine dangerously and Malfoy’s delicate mouth twists in disdain. “But you don’t want that, do you? You are angry, you want him down. And so do I.” Harry licks his lips and Malfoy’s eyes flicker down to follow the motion before glaring daggers at him. “Join us- Join <em> me </em> and you have a chance. That’s what I can give you, a chance to fight back.”</p><p>For a moment they just stand there looking at each other, Harry’s hands holding Malfoy’s wrist against his chest, and the silence it’s comforting, it’s <em>them </em>after a year of Harry chasing after the back of a quiet Malfoy. Now the grey eyes are locked on his, a ripple of emotions that Harry can only call intense flashing through them. The next words Malfoy says are a change of pace, his voice quiet and small, </p><p>“My parents-”</p><p>“We can get them out too, if they want,” promises Harry, even if he hates Lucius Malfoy, even if he knows the Order won’t like it, because as he looks into Malfoy’s eyes he knows he will do anything to make it happen.</p><p>Malfoy is breathing heavily, his chest rising and falling in a movement Harry can feel because they are that close. “Why?” he asks, his eyes narrowing in suspicion. “Why are <em> you </em>doing this?”</p><p>It’s certainly a question. Harry holds Malfoy’s wrists against his own chest without taking his eyes away from his and opens his mouth, “Because-” There are many things he could say; that he is doing so because he wants to stop Voldemort, that he is doing it because it’s the right thing to do, that he is doing so because Malfoy asked <em>him </em>to stay yesterday and he can’t understand why. “Because I want to.”</p><p>He expects Malfoy to snap at him, to say it’s a flimsy reason, but instead of that, there is acceptance in the grey eyes as if he understood Harry completely. “So what now?” asks Malfoy in a hushed voice that makes the distance between them feel smaller. </p><p>“Who else knows?” </p><p>Malfoy licks his lips, his tongue a flash of pink that draws Harry’s eye, and then his mouth shapes into a circle, “Only Snape.”</p><p>If Snape knew, he should have told the Order, or at least Dumbledore. That made Harry pause because the Headmaster hadn’t mentioned anything. Either Snape or Dumbledore was hiding things and Harry was inclined to believe one of them more. </p><p>“We should get out of here before he returns,” says Harry, but he doesn’t move from where he is standing. There is <em>something </em>about Malfoy’s eyes that pulls him in, like the moon pulls the tides, making him inch forwards before remembering himself and stepping back.</p><p>He lets go of the grip on Malfoy’s wrists as he does so, and the blond immediately cradles one of them with his other hand. “And then what?”</p><p>“And then we go straight to Dumbledore,” says Harry and watches mesmerized as mistrust crosses Malfoy’s face. He has missed that, he realises, the way Malfoy’s features portray his emotions so loudly, so clear for Harry to read. All he had gotten this year had been dull, a husk of what it had been, but now Malfoy was back.</p><p>It makes Harry smile against his own will, and he extends a hand for the other to take, and despite the intense animosity between them, he doesn’t doubt for a second Malfoy will accept it. And when he does, his pale hand gripping Harry’s tightly, as if it were part of a fight between them, it feels like the world is finally in place.</p><p>Had Harry ever expected to run all the way to the castle without letting go of Malfoy's hand? No, but he hadn’t expected to catch a glimpse of a smile when he looked over his shoulder as they did either, and certainly hadn’t expected the jolt in his chest that it caused, so what’s another odd thing to the day?</p><p>
  <em> ☆☆☆ </em>
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